By Yolanda Pawar
The Spring season is bustling with vibrant energy, new harvests and a strong lineup of campus and community activities hosted by One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF). This year, on April 22nd (Earth Day), OEF will mark 13 progressive years of impactful and groundbreaking work in developing sustainable and resilient people and communities across Eleuthera. Gearing up for this milestone, excitement is ramping up at the Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) campus, which continues to see an increase in visitors, volunteers, and community events. Powered by OEF and located in Rock Sound, the CTI campus consists of The Retreat Hotel, Farmer’s Table restaurant, The Farm at CTI, and the CTI technical and vocational school.
MOT Food and Craft Festival
On Saturday, March 1st, 2025, the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with OEF, successfully hosted the highly anticipated 6th Annual Food and Craft Festival. This vibrant event showcased and celebrated the best of Bahamian culture, cuisine, and craft. Local families, fun-goers, boating and stay-over tourists, and community members came out in droves. Attendees relished the opportunity to shop at home for authentic products and food while supporting over twenty-two local businesses and entrepreneurs who participated.
The event offered a feast for the senses, with an impressive array of food stalls serving mouthwatering local delicacies and authentic, handmade crafts, jewellery, and products embodying our rich and diverse heritage. Hosted by the debonair Martin Lee of Harbour Island, the evening entertainment included exciting performances by Nishie L.S, Puzzle, and DJ Snow. Attendees were mesmerized by an interactive, fire-dancing show and a dynamic rush out by the popular Karizmas Junkanoo Group.
University Volunteers and Study Abroad Students Are Back For Spring Break!
Volunteering for their third consecutive year, Lee University students returned to Eleuthera from Cleveland, Tennessee, from March 7th to 11th to kick off the Spring Break. The eleven students and two faculty members spent several days working alongside the CTI farm team and contributing to the farm’s sustainable agricultural activities. Among other things, the students spent time constructing and painting new bee hives to increase the capacity of the CTI apiary. They engaged in daily crop work and assisted with a farming construction project led by OEF at the Preston Albury High School.
In March, OEF was also pleased to welcome a new cohort of student nursed from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Through an education-based partnership that dates back some twenty-plus years, student nurses visit Eleuthera annually to volunteer in local clinics and conduct health-related outreach throughout the community. From March 8th to 15th, the fourteen-member group engaged in experiential learning under the guidance of faculty members and skilled medical professionals stationed at South Eleuthera’s government and private clinics. The students gained valuable clinical experience while supporting the healthcare needs of the island’s residents.
Through these culturally immersive service-learning trips, OEF provides university students with valuable experience and facilitates the real-life exposure needed to expand and shape their worldview. Together, we are building a strong foundation for the island’s economic growth and sustainable development.
Working With Partner Organizations Aligned with OEF’s Economic Development Goals
OEF recently hosted The Bahamas Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) and the Tourism Development Corporation of The Bahamas (TDC) during separate events at the CTI Campus. Continuing its mission to empower Eleuthera’s entrepreneurs, the SBDC held a four-day event from February 26th to March 1st featuring a nationally televised Town Hall Meeting, a Training Workshop, and an Entrepreneurs’ Clinic. The latter was hosted at the CTI campus and provided existing and emerging entrepreneurs with the opportunity to learn about the resources, business training, grants, and funding facilities available through the SBDC.
On Monday, March 10th, a five-member team from the Tourism Development Center led by Senior Manager, Craig Mortimer, visited the CTI Campus for a farm tour and breakfast meet and greet with OEF leadership, the Island Administrator for South Eleuthera, Bridgette Farquharson-Knowles, and the Chief Councillor for South Eleuthera, Shawna McCartney. The TDC team was on the island for five days, citing that their focal point for this fiscal year is to provide the Family Islands, including Eleuthera, with substantial entrepreneurship opportunities that will help to boost island economies. The contingent hosted a Town Hall Meeting for the business community and local entrepreneurs on March 13th at the Eleuthera Cancer Society.
